The Doors In Between
by Callisto-HK
Summary: Dean wasn't sure what was happening, he just knew that something was terribly wrong. They needed to find a way to fix things. FAST! /Set in season 7. Rated T for Language./ PLS read the A/N!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _This story is actually for a dear friend of mine who's asked for it! Well, this isn't exactly what she's asked for, but I believe it contains what she wanted!:D_

**_I hope she likes it, and so do you! :D_**

_I know this chapter is kinda too short, but it's the first one and needed to be done this way! More will come soon, hopefully! :D_

_This is happening during season 7 , So**, SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT**. **It's happening before episode 15, **though!_ _So, if you haven't watched the last two episodes yet, this fiction is not gonna be a problem!_

_All mistakes are mine and I'm sorry!  
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**. The Doors In Between .**

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Slowly and cautiously, he walked out of the back door of the abandoned hotel. Trying to stay focused, he narrowed his eyes and pushed the unpleasant memory of his recent fight with his brother to the back of his mind. Now wasn't the right time, he needed to be alert and on top of his game or he'd be the next victim of the fugly creature they were currently looking for.

It wasn't easy to concentrate, though. It was so dark that they couldn't see anything further than one foot in front of them and his distracted mind wasn't helping him at all.

Despite everything that had been going on between the two of them the last few days, they were still having each other's back. Turning around to make sure his brother was still there, he caught the glimpse of a moving object, something like a ball, towards his brother's head. Not having enough time to come up with any good idea, he did the only thing that came to his mind and pushed his brother back.

The ball hit the ground and blow out with a loud bang. The light coming out of it engulfed everything and before he knew, he was collapsing to the floor.

...

"Dean." Sam jolted up, the alley was dark once again. He must've hit his head, because he couldn't remember what really had happened. One second he was standing there and the next he was opening his eyes while lying on the filthy floor. Looking around, he found Dean lying a few feet away, his eyes open, staring at the wall behind Sam.

"What the hell was that?" Sam snapped before standing up. "Come on, move. We don't have all day. If that thing wanted to distract us, he's found a great way."

No answer.

"Dean. Move it. We don't have all day." Sam sighed. "OK, you want me to thank you for pushing me out of the way. Fine. Thanks. No get the hell up."

Still nothing.

Bending down, Sam looked at his brother more closely and then the realization hit him hard. Dropping to his knees, Sam reached out and turned Dean around so he was lying on his back. Dean was staring at the sky but his eyes weren't really seeing anything.

A shiver ran down Sam's spine as he took in his brother's situation. "No, no, nonononono." Murmuring under his breath, he put his trembling fingers on Dean's neck to check his pulse. Much to his relief it was there; strong and steady. Sam closed his eyes briefly and calmed down his breathing.

His palm resting on the side of Dean's face, Sam moved into his line of sight. "Dean, hey man. Can you hear me?"

No answer.

Taking Dean's hand in his, Sam talked again. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

His brother remained motionless.

The dread came back to Sam's stomach. "O God. What now?" Not having any other choices, Sam grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911.

...

"DEAN." Dean heard someone screaming his name as he hit the ground. He was staring at the wall in front of him, not able to blink or move. But something was wrong; that much he could tell.

His eyes began to flutter as the pain began to overtake him, just when he was about to slip into unconsciousness he saw a figure appearing in front of him, cautiously turning him to his back.

Something was wrong, Dean knew it, he looked up weakly and tried to focus on the figure but his eyes were slightly dim and there was a roaring in his ears. He closed his eyes and before the darkness swept him up and carried him into unconsciousness he came to an important conclusion.

The person sitting by his side, calling his name shouldn't have been a woman!

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**... TBC ...**

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><p><em><strong>AN: I really need to know what you think! :)**_

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	2. Chapter 2

"Dean? Dean, open your eyes. Come on, you've slept enough, don't you think?"

_'There we go._ _This familiar yet strange voice.'  
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Someone was squeezing his hand. "Open your eyes Dean. Please." there was an edge to her voice, like she's been crying.

Summoning up all his powers, Dean opened his eyes. Blinking a couple of times to clear the haze in front of his vision, he found himself on a bed, in a semi dark room.

"That's it." The woman said.

Turning his head towards her, Dean finally looked at the owner of the mysterious voice. It was only a few seconds later when his eyes widened with disbelief. "Mom?"

"Oh, Thank God. You gave me a heart attack there." Mary bent down and kissed his forehead.

Dean stared at her, not able to analyze his situation.

Worry filled Mary's eyes again as she took the confused look on Dean's face the wrong way. "Is everything alright, Dean? Are you in pain? Hang on; I'll just call the doctor."

"Anyone need me here?"

Turning his gaze to the door, Dean found an older woman entering the room.

She walked to his bedside and smiled. "Dean, hey. Nice of you to join us."

Dean just frowned.

Grabbing her penlight, she started checking Dean's eyes which made him wince. "Headache?"

"Where am I?" Dean asked in lieu of an answer.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Dean swallowed, not sure how to answer that question. Thinking for a few seconds, he remembered being with Sam in a dark alley, he remembered pushing Sam out of the harm way and he remembered the damn light. That was it.

And _now_, he was here with Mary by his side. "Just what the hell?" he gritted out before he could stop himself.

"Dean? Son? What's the last thing you remember?" Mary took Dean's right hand in hers.

Dean just shook his head. How was he supposed to answer that? Where the hell was he, anyway? Was it something like the Djinn's alternate universe?

"He remembered me. So it can't be amnesia."

"Amnesia has different levels. It sure is a good thing that he remembers you, but it might be better if we give him some more time. He's just woken up from 2-day coma; not to mention the severe concussion he's suffered. It's normal for him to be confused."

Dean listened to Mary and his doctor talking about him, trying to get some useful information. "Two days? I've been unconscious for TWO days?" he sat up quickly.

'_Wrong move.'_ he thought when the room started spinning around him.

"Whoa, don't be so hasty." the doctor held his shoulder and carefully laid him back. "Can you tell me your full name?"

"Dean Winchester." Dean said through clenched teeth, figuring there was no point in telling a fake name since Mary was there with him. "Where is Sam?"

"Sam?" Mary sounded confused.

"Yeah, Sam. You know? My brother Sam." Dean was frustrated, he loved Mary, but the last few times that he'd seen someone looking like her; they were either an evil bitch or were trying to hurt him even more.

Mary threw a worried glance at the doctor and looked back at Dean. "What are you talking about, Dean? You don't have a brother."

Dean stared at her, his eyes wide. "I don't have a brother?" _'What the hell kind of universe is this?'_

"Why don't you rest for a while, Dean? Your pupils are back to normal and I don't see any immediate risk. I'm sure you'll feel better when you wake up the next time." his doctor assured him and gestured for Mary to fallow her out.

They left the door slightly ajar, though, so Dean could hear them fairly well.

"What's wrong with him, Jenny?"

"I'm not sure, yet. Sometimes a blow to the head can cause the patient to go through something that they've experienced in the past. If they'd lived with some imaginations or wished to have something or someone in their lives, they might think that it's been real and they'll look for it when they come out of the coma."

"You're telling me that Dean has always thought that he had a brother named Sam? And now he's asking for him?" Mary couldn't believe her ears.

"Well, Sam could be his imaginary friend."

"Dean? Imaginary friend? I don't think so." Mary shook her head. "Look, life hasn't been easy on Dean; he'd to grow up too fast. He didn't have time for these kinda imaginations."

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Watching your drunk father kill himself in front of your very eyes tends to do that to you." Mary added bitterly. "He was only four."

Dean couldn't see their faces, but he was pretty sure that the doctor's face was a mirror of his own.  
>His father, John Winchester, had killed himself? In front of <em>him<em>? And he's been only _four_ at that time? Man, whatever had created him must've really hated him! He was cursed in every kind of universe.

"I'm sorry, Mary. I didn't know that." Jenny said sotto voce. "But that doesn't mean that Dean couldn't have an imaginary friend. That even creates a better situation for him to have one. Maybe he's always wanted a brother, someone with whom he could talk."

"I don't know, but I still don't think that's the case. I just know my son."

Mary's voice was so sad that Dean had to fight the urge to walk out and hug her.

"Let's give him some more time. You go back in there and sit with him. We'll run some more tests once he wakes up. He'll be fine." Jenny assured her.

Dean didn't want to waste any more time sleeping, but he was too tired. He told himself that he'd just rest his eyes for a few seconds, but soon he fell into a deep sleep.

...

"Mr. Bright?"

Sam jumped up as he heard the doctor calling his name.

"How's my brother? What's wrong with him?"

"Let's sit down first." the doctor sat beside Sam. "I'm Allen Satler and I've been working on your brother. I think you want me to be honest with you, here, right?"

Sam just nodded.

"Well, we've run every kind of tests that we thought might be necessary but unfortunately we have yet to realize what his true problem is. His vitals are good and he's a normal EEG. We're still waiting for some of his results, but as of now, I can't really tell you anything. I'm sorry."

Somehow, Sam knew this would be the doctors' answer, he still hoped for a little mercy.

"There's still another possibility, though."

Sam's head snapped up.

"Psychological breakdown." Doctor Satler informed.

"What?" Sam's eyes widened.

"I know, no one likes to hear that about their loved ones, but unfortunately that's probably the reason behind your brother's catatonic state."

"Catat-... What?" Sam frowned. "You don't know my brother." he stated bluntly.

"You might be right, but tell me, isn't your brother suffering from any types of depression? Isn't he Dealing with the death of a loved one or too much pressure in the life?"

_'All of the above.'_ Sam thought sadly. '_But dammit, this is not a mental problem._' Sam didn't know how to tell that to the doctor.

"I take that as a yes."

"What can you do for him?" Sam didn't care what they thought as long as they were able to help Dean.

"While we wait for his test results, I suggest you go and sit there and talk to him. If I'm right and this is a mental breakdown, then we'll start his treatment with Benzodiazepines. We'll have to wait for his reactions, but usually it'll have the desired reaction. Since it seems like he's in a catatonic Stupor state, I'd say that your presence will be a great help. We'll also ask our psychiatrist to have a look at his case."

"You don't understand, it's not a mental problem. It's just-"

"Give it time." The doctor didn't even let Sam finish his reasoning. "We'll get him through this. Do you have any questions?"

_'Well, I was talking.'_ Sam thought angrily but he just shook his head in response to his question.

"Alright then, ask the nurse to call me if you've any. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Sam just wanted to strangle the stupid doctor. _'Just who does he think he is? He thinks he knows my brother better than me? Alright, maybe Dean has been through a lot in the past few months, but what's new? It's not catatonia.'_ with his mind set on that belief, Sam stood up and walked towards Dean's room.

"Hey Dean, listen, if you're still there, just hold tight, I'll find a way. I know this is not what they think it is. I gotta find some help and since Bobby is not an option any more, I gotta find someone else. Maybe Frank; I don't know. I'll be back soon. Don't do anything funny. You hear me?"

He knew he couldn't expect any kind of answers but he still stared into Dean's unfocused eyes.

"I'm sorry for what I said before the hunt. I didn't mean it." he whispered and squeezed Dean's hand. "I'll be back. Hang in there."

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**... TBC ...**

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><p><em><strong>AN: How was that for the second chapter?**_

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	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** I decided to change the second main character to Mary W. Sam still has an important role, but this is more about Dean and Mary. I didn't want to spoil the storyline so I didn't put her name there from the beginning! :D_

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_"Hey Dean, listen, if you're still there, just hold tight, I'll find a way. I know this is not what they think it is. I gotta find some help and since Bobby is not an option any more, I gotta find someone else. Maybe Frank; I don't know. I'll be back soon. Don't do anything funny. You hear me?"_

_He knew he couldn't expect any kind of answers but he still stared into Dean's unfocused eyes._

_"I'm sorry for what I said before the hunt. I didn't mean it." he whispered and squeezed Dean's hand. "I'll be back. Hang in there."_

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><p>Dean could hear Sam's voice. Turning his head around to find his brother, he found himself drifting in big mass of nothingness.<p>

"Sam." he called out. "Sam, I can hear you, where are you?" he looked around.

Nothing. All he knew was that Sam was somewhere around and was asking him to hang in there.

"Just hurry up." he murmured, even though he knew that nobody could hear him.

"Hurry up for what, Dean?"

Or he _thought_ that nobody could hear him. Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself back with Mary.

"Oh, hey." he croaked.

"Hey yourself." Mary smiled. "Who were you talking to?"

"I was... talking?" Good thing he was so good at hiding the truth.

Marry narrowed her eyes. "Yeah." She then shrugged slightly. "Forget it, how are you feeling?"

"Sore." He replied, but gave her a wary smile nonetheless. "What happened?" he _did_ want to know how he had ended up in a hospital in this universe.

"Ah, you fall down the stairs." Mary replied, guiltily? "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I, ahh,.. I don't know. I don't remember much."

"Jenny says that it's normal to forget the moment of the incident." she patted Dean's forearm.

"No, I mean I don't remember much of _anything_." Dean was pretty sure that it was better to find out about this world if he pretended that he couldn't remember anything. It wasn't exactly pretending, though. He really didn't know anything about his new situation.

"But- what-... You remembered me." Mary looked worried all over again.

"Well, yeah, Mom. I remember you." Dean smiled. "But I just remember the basics. My name, yours, and- Well, that's about it, I guess."

"You'll be the death of me." Mary sighed. "Why did you ask about a brother earlier? Who's Sam?"

Dean didn't know how to answer that one. "I... Umm, Sam?"

"Yeah, don't you remember asking for him?"

"No." he lied. "What's going on here?"

"It's my fault." She replied with that guilty look on her face again." I shouldn't have left you. You were sick already."

Dean just blinked with confusion.

"You were sick and you were staying with me. Well, after Lisa- you remember Lisa, right?"

"You know about Lisa?" Dean couldn't help but ask.

"I was there when you two got married. Of course I remember. I'm not the one with a concussion."

"I'm married? And my wife is _Lisa_?" Dean was finding this more and more surprising. The look on Mary's face was a little suspicious, though. "What's it?"

"You... My God. That's probably it." Mary's eyes were filled with sadness. "You're trying to block the bad memories."

"What bad memories?" He was really confused. "Mom, come on, I'm not really up for 20 questions."

Marry swallowed hard. "She died five months ago; after delivering your daughter."

This time Dean really didn't know how to react. He opened his mouth but no words left it. Closing it, he swallowed and blinked a few times.

He's been married to Lisa and she'd _died_ in this universe and man, he'd a _daughter_. Their baby was definitely not Ben.

"Daughter? I... I have a baby girl?" he stammered. "Where is she now?"

"Ah, I left her with Katie."

"Who's Katie?"

Marry rolled his eyes. "This is going to take long. Katie is your secretary."

"My-"

"Dean Winchester, you're a Cardiologist, you've a private office but you also work in this hospital three days a week. Katie is your secretary and she was the only one available that I could trust her with Daisy."

Things were getting better and better; Dean couldn't stifle his laugh. "That's priceless." he panted. "Oh Man."

"WOW, it's good to see you laugh after such a long time." Jenny chose that moment to enter the room.

"I'm not sure the reason is a good one." Mary stated anxiously, talking to Jenny like Dean wasn't in the room. "He- uh, he couldn't remember anything; nothing other than his name and mine. I- well, I gave him the reader's digest version of his life and then he started laughing."

Jenny looked dumbfounded. "Mary, you should've known better." she began in a reprimanding tone. "What were you thinking bombarding him with all the information about his life? Did you tell him about Lisa, too?"

Mary actually looked ashamed. Dean couldn't remember his Mom looking like that. He would've felt sorry for her if he could control his laughter. He felt like a little boy, watching Mary and Jenny talking about him like he wasn't there, but the thing he'd just heard was too damn funny.

"I think it's better if I give him a mild sedative. His heartbeat is elevated and he's showing signs of hysteria." jenny pushed the button to call the nurse and ordered her to give Dean a low dose of sedative.

"He might not remember a thing when he wakes up. I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately, but don't reveal too much information all at once."

Mary nodded. "I.. I just thought it might help him to remember everything."

Jenny smiled. "He'll be fine. Just give him some time. Seeing Daisy might be helpful. I'm not sure Dean could've survived Lisa's death if it wasn't for Daisy."

"I'll go get her."

"No. Stay with him. If he doesn't show any signs of physical problem, I'll release him. You could take him home but be very careful. I'll stop by later to check up on him."

"That's good. I.. I just-"

"Mary?"

"I'm worried he might get back to drinking again. The first two months after Lisa's death were hell. I can't see him like that again."

"We won't let him drown himself in drink, again."

"Like we could do anything the first time around." Mary sounded desperate.

"You're right. But he was strong enough to snap out of it, himself. I don't know much about his childhood, but judging by what you told me a few hours ago and by what I've seen from him these last few years that I've had the chance to know him, I can say that he's really strong. If anyone can pull through this a second time, it'd be Dean." Jenny said reassuringly and left Mary to sit with his son for the umpteenth time in the past three days.

...

"How can you be so sure? That brother of yours was under a lot of pressure."

Sam kicked the car in frustration. "Dammit, Frank. Even if I didn't know Dean as well as I do, I could say that he wouldn't just drop to the floor and slip into catatonia in the middle of a hunt."

Frank sighed. "God damn Bobby Singer. Whatever have I done to deserve this punishment? What was this thing you were hunting?"

Sam explained everything to him, till the very second that he called an ambulance.

"I don't see how this is related to your case."

"It's not. None of the previous victims has ended up like Dean. You think I would've called you if I knew what's going on?"

"You're all charm, aren't you?" Frank growled. "I'll look into it and call you back when I have something."

"It's important Frank. Please-"

"I know. Keep your brother alive and I'll come up with something." And with that Frank hung up the phone.

...

They'd been back to their home for two hours now and fortunately Mary had finally left him alone to make some dinner.

He wasn't sure how to feel; he knew that Katie was about to bring _his daughter_ home and be there with them for dinner, he just didn't know how he was supposed to react. He didn't belong to this world; he didn't know Katie or Daisy.

"Just what kind of hell is this?" he growled to himself. Taking a look around the big room, he found lots of photos. Pictures of him with Mary, Daisy and one with Lisa. He didn't have any photos with his father, thought.

Of course, that was understandable since his father had killed himself in this world. And apparently Mary hated John for that. Not that he could blame his Mom. They hadn't really talked about it, but the one time that he'd tried to ask about his father, Dean saw a sad look in Mary's eyes and decided to let it go.

Not that it mattered all that much, anyway. He had to find a way to get back to his own world. As much as he craved to spend the rest of his life with Mary, he knew that he couldn't leave Sam alone. That just didn't feel right. They didn't even have Bobby anymore.

_Bobby_.

That could be the key. Maybe Bobby was alive in this world. He could still be a hunter and if that was true, he could help him find his way back.

With that thought in his mind, Dean stood up from his seat on the bed and walked out of the room to see if Mary needed any help. He'd find his way back, but till then, he was about to enjoy the little time he had with his Mom.

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**... TBC ...**

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><p><em><strong>AN: What do you think of Dean's new world? ! :D**_

**_Once again, sorry for any mistakes._  
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	4. Chapter 4

Dean sat there, Daisy on his lap, playing with Dean's finger. He couldn't take his eyes from her. Man, she definitely was his child; those green eyes couldn't belong to anyone else.

Mary sat beside him on the couch. Katie has left a while back and they were finally alone. "How are you feeling?"

Dean looked up. "Umm, I don't know. Weird?"

"You don't remember her, do you?"

Dean just shook his head.

"It'll come back." Mary squeezed his shoulder.

_'Yeah, sure'_ Dean smiled. "Umm, I.. Do you happen to know anyone named Bobby Singer?" Dean asked, remembering that in his world, Mary was a hunter, herself.

"Bobby Singer? No, should I?"

"Mom, what did your father do for a living?"

"What?" Mary looked dumbfounded. "He was a cop. Why are you asking that?"

"Are they alive? I mean your parents."

"No Dean. They died before I married your father. Why are you asking these questions?"

"I just need to know. Please. Why did they die?"

"It was an accident. Dad fall asleep behind the wheel." her voice was low. After so many years, it was still painful for her to talk about that night.

"Ah. Sorry." Dean felt bad. Although he didn't know what to think about this Mary and this life, he couldn't help but feel like an ass for bringing up bad memories for her.

"It's OK. It was long time ago. So, you plan on getting back to work, anytime soon?"

_'Back to work? And play the doctor? Hell NO.'_ "Umm, I need to run some errands first." he said aloud. "Do you think you can take care of Daisy for me, till I get back?"

"Till you get back? Where are you going? What errands?"

"I... Well, I need to go to South Dakota. To find Bobby."

"You've never talked about him before, why suddenly now?"

"I'll explain it later. OK? You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do, Dean. I'm just worried. You gotta admit, you're acting strangely and with everything that you've been through lately, I don't think it's wise to just sit aside and-"

"I'm fine, Mom." Man, he loved using that word. "I'll be back as soon as possible and I'll call you whenever I find the chance. Alright?"

"When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"What? You haven't even booked a flight."

"I don't-... Flight?"_ 'Thanks, but no thanks.'_ "I don't think so. I'll just drive."

"Dean Winchester. Don't even think about it. You've just woken up from a coma and you wanna drive to Dakota? No way."

"Mom, you know I hate airplanes."

"You never did before."

"I didn't?" Dean blinked in surprise. "What the hell kinda universe is this?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Dean murmured. "I'm fine enough to drive a few hours and I'll be back soon. You just don't worry, OK?"

"Easy for you to say." Mary stood up. "At least go and get some sleep. Daisy will stay in my room tonight. Right Daisy? A few nights with grandma. Come here Baby." she said and took Daisy from Dean. Wavering for a few seconds, Mary bent down and kissed Dean on the top of his head. "Be careful. I can't lose you." she whispered and walked away.

Dean looked at her back. A small smile tugged at his lips and sadness filled his eyes. "What am I supposed to do, here?"

...

Sam hadn't slept more than a couple of hours in a row since Dean had been admitted to the hospital. Frank was still looking for some answers and just like Sam, himself, he still hadn't found anything useful.

Dean's doctors had started him on some different medications and even a psychologist had stopped by. But so far, nothing was working. They were at their wits' end and Dean hasn't changed a bit.

Damn he wouldn't even sleep. He just wasn't there at all. The doctors had started to look at his case as a new type of catatonia and if Sam wasn't so damn frustrated, he'd have found it funny.

"You gotta help me here, Dean. What am I supposed to do? I did whatever I could think of. I went back to that damn alley. Nothing. Give me some hints. I don't know what to do." he sighed.

"I won't give up, though. Don't worry big bro. I'll find something and then when I get you back, I'll make you do the laundry for the rest of our lives. You owe me that much." Sam tried to smile, but the look on Dean's face wouldn't let him. Dean's body was there. He was breathing on his own, but he wasn't there. It was just his body. If it wasn't for the IV and the feeding tube, he wouldn't last long.

...

When the door to Bobby's house got open, Dean couldn't make himself do anything save hug the older man.

"Excuse me?"

"Bobby Singer." Dean stepped back, too happy to see Bobby again to care that _this_ Bobby didn't know him.

"Yes, and you are?" the man growled.

"Dean. Dean Winchester." Dean reached out a hand and smiled.

Bobby shook his hand. "What can I do for you Mr. Winchester?"

"Honey, who's there?"

"Ah, I don't know. But I'll find out in a minute." Bobby called back.

"Karen is alive?" Dean blurted out before he could stop himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bobby asked, with a dangerous tone.

"Ah, nothing. Nothing-"

In a swift move Bobby had Dean pinned to the wall. "How do you know my wife and who the hell are you?"

"Please. I can explain." Dean held his hands up. "Sorta."

"I'm all ears. You've got 30 seconds."

"That long?"

"25."

"Fine. Fine. Look-"

"20."

"Man, chill out. I know your wife because I know _you_. I mean _you_ have told me about her."

"Wrong answer." Bobby grabbed Dean's collar and hit him to the wall.

"Ah." Dean winced in pain. "Do you mind? I just woke up from a coma. You don't wanna be the one to tell my little girl you're the one who killed her father, do you?"

Bobby narrowed his eyes, something in that young man was telling him that he could trust him. "I don't know you and I sure as hell have never talked to you about my wife. You've just another chance and you better tell the truth."

"You a hunter?" Dean asked tentatively.

"A what?"

"You're not." Dean deduced.

"You wanna try and talk in a language that I can understand?"

"No. Look. I shouldn't have come. Sorry. I'll just go."

"You're not going anywhere till you tell me the whole story."

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

"No. You'd think I'm crazy."

"Try. Me." Bobby repeated in a tone that left no room for argument.

"You asked for it." Dean shrugged. "Not here. Join me in my car?"

Bobby assessed Dean for a few seconds and finally nodded.

"Karen, I'll be right back." he called before closing the door to his house and walked towards Dean's car.

Dean didn't know how to explain his story but he didn't have any choice. "Whatever, you probably think I'm crazy, anyway. So, I don't have anything to lose. Here's the thing. I know you, or better to say _used_ to know you in another universe. We were hunters and we'd hunt ..well, supernatural things. You were like a father figure to me- " it was like Dean had found a chance to talk to Bobby before losing him again. "Man, I missed you." he sighed.

"A parallel world? And hunting supernatural things? Do they even exist? What kind of freak are you?"

"You see? I told you that you wouldn't believe me."

"Go on."

"Go on? Oh, right. Well, you've lost Karen in that world. She' been possessed by a demon and you had to kill her. That was the reason you became a hunter. Years later we met. I was just a kid. My Mom got killed by a demon and that lead my father to look for revenge. Anyway, long story short, we worked together till a few months back, when..." He swallowed hard. "When you got killed in a hunt." His voice was laced with depression. "I thought I'd never see you again." he sighed.

"Anyways, the last hunt that Sam and I-... Sam is my brother." He elaborated. "We were working on a bad case, but there was nothing that could send me here. There was a light and the next thing I know is waking up in this world, where I'm a Cardiologist and have a little girl and my Mom is alive. Oh, and I don't have a brother here." Dean finished his story.

Bobby just stared at him.

"You don't believe me."

"You really expect me to?"

"No. Not really." Dean shrugged. "That's the truth, but I don't blame you for not believing me. I... Look, I had to give it a try, if you still were a hunter, you'd have been able to help me. But now, I'll be out of your hair and you'll never hear from me again."

"You said you were in a coma recently?"

"Yes." Dean frowned. "Oh don't start on me. This is not because of a head trauma. Forget I ever showed up here, OK?"

"That's the most logic reason." Bobby frowned. "Waking up from a coma, I mean."

"I don't care about logic. You better go. Your wife is waiting. Sorry for taking your time. But it's-" Dean sighed. "I don't care what you think, I needed to see you one more time and I'm happy to see you've a good life. At lease in this universe. Take care."

Bobby didn't know how to answer to that, the kid in front of him was clearly hurting, so he decided to keep his comments to himself. Nodding his understanding, Bobby opened the door and left the car. "Drive safe, Dean."

Dean smiled and waved his goodbye before turning the car and leaving Bobby's property. He hadn't found the answer he was looking for, but he was feeling better already. He needed to see Bobby one more time; even if the man didn't know him and thought he was a freak. It was worth it.

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**... TBC ...**

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><p><em><strong>AN: At least Dean found the chance to say goodbye to Bobby, right? ! How was that?  
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	5. Chapter 5

In Sam's world, _- the real world, right? -_ it'd been one week since the day Dean had slipped in his new version of catatonia and the doctors were talking about going back to the common treatment and leave it to him to wake up. There was nothing they could do and Sam knew that it wasn't something physical; he just didn't know how to get Dean back. He knew that they couldn't afford staying in the hospital any longer and it was too risky. So he'd decided to take Dean and drive to Bobby's cabin. All he needed was the IV packs and feeding tubes.

In Dean's world, though, it had been_ two months_.

Dean had refused to get back to work for a while. First Mary thought he was feeling sick, but later she realized that Dean was scared of getting back. It took them a long time to convince him to give it a try and to Dean's complete surprise he knew what to do when he visited a patient.

It wasn't easy, but finally he got used to it. He'd work a few hours a day and spend the rest of it looking for a way to get back to his own world. Bobby had been his only hope but when he found out that he was on his own with no clue, he'd started to go through different books.

He was really enjoying his new life and if it wasn't for Sam, he would've stayed there. But he couldn't, he'd always felt responsible for his little brother and knew that now wasn't the time to walk away.

"You still up?" Mary appeared behind him in the living room.

"Ah, hey, you're up again. I'll go and sleep in a few minutes." Dean smiled.

"Dean, you don't get enough sleep and drink too much; it's not a way to live your life."

Dean blinked in confusion. "I don't drink _that_ much! And I usually sleep more than five hours a day. How do you call it _not_ enough?"

Mary just frowned.

"Don't worry, Mom, I've got it under control. I don't get drunk that easily." He tried to lighten the mood.

To no avail, of course.

"This is not just about you getting drunk, Dean. You'll kill yourself with alcohol. You can't do that to me and Daisy. Please, Dean."

_'Jesus, what's wrong with her? I haven't been drinking as half as I used to do when I was in my universe.'_ Dean rubbed his face. "I... OK." he sighed.

Honestly, Dean wasn't feeling so good. It was weird, but the lack of sleep and even that _little_ amount of alcohol were taking their toll on him; even though he used to live a way more stressful life back in his reality and his problems were ten times bigger.

At first he'd just get breathless walking up the stairs; the pain in his chest wasn't really alarming, either.

It wasn't until 2 weeks later that he started to accept that something was seriously wrong with him.

It'd started like a normal afternoon.

Daisy was playing in the back yard as Mary talked on the phone. One second he was going through another book that he thought might give him some hints about his dilemma, the next he saw Daisy falling into the pool. Or _heard_ her.

He was up and running towards her even before his mind could register his little girl's scream. Plunging into the pool, he grabbed Daisy and passed her to his Mom who was now standing next to the pool, looking at them anxiously.

They didn't even know how Daisy had managed to leave her cot, let alone going to the pool. But she was safe.

The only problem was that Dean couldn't bring his breathing under control. He couldn't stop coughing and after a few agonizing moments, when he finally stopped and looked up, Mary's heart skipped a beat at the sight.

There was blood on Dean's chin and lips.

A few days and lots of tests later, he'd finally been diagnosed with stage 2 non-small cell lung cancer. He was thankful that it wasn't his liver; Mary would've killed him, herself if she felt that his drinking had anything to do with his problem.

He was getting more and more desperate, he didn't know how to get back, but he'd found enough information in those books to know that if he died in this world, he'd never get back to his real world. His body would die there, too. He was running out of time. And fast.

The thing was that he had never doubted that he would choose Sam over this life and even their Mom. It was Mary or Sam. And although he loved them both equally, he knew that _Sam_ was the reality. Two month in that life hadn't erased his memory of his real life. He just wasn't sure how he could leave and if his absence would change anything in this parallel universe.

...

Sam hadn't been able to keep Dean at home. A night after they were back to the cabin Dean's vitals had started to fade away. He finally drove him to another hospital near Bobby's cabin. They started to run some more tests, and even though Sam knew that they wouldn't be able to find anything, he was happy to see that at least Dean was receiving medical attention. He could see that he didn't have much time left. He'd to find a way to get his brother back or he'd lose him forever.

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**... TBC ...**

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><p><em><strong>AN: A short chapter, I know and sorry! But it was important to leave it here!  
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	6. Chapter 6

Daisy had started walking around and was turning to a full-time job. Mary didn't know how to deal with that while Dean was getting weaker and weaker each day. Dean was sorry for Daisy and his Mom, but there wasn't much he could do.

Mary was trying to be strong for them both but it was getting harder. The radiation therapy wasn't doing Dean any good and she could see how hard was for his son to hide his pain. His situation was deteriorating too fast.

In Dean's case surgery wasn't an option; they had to stop the cancer from spreading to nearby tissues, first. The pain was getting worse. Even walking from the bed to the bathroom was torturous. The problem was that he was getting drowsy and he didn't have time to sleep. He was in so much pain that he'd started to think about giving up on looking for a way to get back to his world. He was actually feeling like an old man, he couldn't swallow easily, he was feeling so weak and tired all the damn time and his joints and shoulders were always in pain.

"Dean?"

"Not now." he answered with a hoarse voice, he'd just drifted to sleep and really wanted to shoot anyone who was trying to wake him. Couldn't they see? His damn lungs were betraying him and every second of solace that he could get was precious.

"Dean, wake up and look at me."

"Shut up." he wheezed.

"Fine, don't blame me for dying here. I was here to help you find your way back."

Dean's eyes snapped open at that. "What the hell are you?" he grabbed his silver knife from under his pillow. A couple of weeks after living in his new house, Dean had started to draw protection symbols around the house and gather some weapons as subtly as possible.

"You?" his eyes widened a few seconds later as he recognized the figure in front of him. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."

"It's a shame you did, then! By the way, silver won't work on me." said the _Dean-still-didn't-know-what_, indicating to the knife in Dean's hand.

"I repeat-" he coughed before continuing. "What the hell are you?"

"A goddess, if you must know. I'm called Yemaya. You can still call me Katie." she smiled kindly. "May I?" she sat beside Dean on the bed.

Dean silently moved away, albeit with some difficulty, and kept his distance with the girl who he once thought was his secretary.

"Isn't it the part when you ask me what I have for you?"

"I'm sure you'll tell me." he stifled another cough.

"Cancer has worsened your temper, I see." she shook her head. "I don't even wanna know what you would be like if you didn't have Mary and lovely Daisy around. She's such a cute thing. It's a shame that you've to waste her."

Dean stiffened at hearing that. "And what's that supposed to mean?" he sounded so dangerous that if she wasn't so sure of herself she'd have backed off.

"I already told you, that thing won't work on me." she chuckled. "But don't worry; I'm not here to hurt your little girl. I'm here merely to show you a way to save your life and get back to your reality."

Dean assessed her skeptically. "What's that got to do with Daisy?"

"Oh, it has EVERYTHING to do with Daisy." she grinned.

"Look, Katie, Yemaya, the goddess of _'I don't know and I don't care what_'; you go on five more minutes like this, and you will lose you only audience." Dean knew he couldn't really threaten her; she clearly wasn't afraid of being close to Dean and that meant that she knew she was safe.

"I'm barely keeping my eyes open." he was hoping that his tone would hide his lie, there was no way he'd fall asleep in the middle of something so important. No matter how tired and ill he was.

"We both know you won't lose your chance." she saw through his lies, though. "I'm ocean, by the way. The essence of motherhood and a protector of children."

"Oh, nice to meet you. Just one question; if you're the... _Ocean_? A small one probably, cuz you really don't look that big." he mocked. "Anyways, if you're the ocean and the other craps you mentioned, why did you bother to send me to this world? I'm pretty sure that Sam and I aren't some pedophiles; no children needed to be saved from us."

"I helped a friend. You were too close to get him and I owed him one. And if you haven't noticed, I've succeeded; you left his case and he got away." she uttered confidently. "Now back to the point, funny boy. Shall we?"

Dean leaned back against his pillow.

"As I told you, I'm not a vengeful goddess. I sent you away to pay off my debt. Now that he's gone, you can get back. It's not in my power, though. There's just one way and it's not hard."

Dean leered at her and said, "What's it?"

"Blood. Lots of it."

Dean narrowed his eyes and suddenly Yemaya's earlier words came back to him.

Daisy.

She wanted him to kill Daisy.

"NO WAY." Dean almost shouted.

Yemaya's lips curled into an evil smile. "That's the only way, Dean. Don't you wanna go back to your own world? Sam needs you. He's been sitting by your bedside this whole time; he has been beating himself over what happened to you. You shoved him out of the way and he can't live with that. You're dying in your world, too. Is that what you want?"

"You EVIL BITCH." Dean gritted out. "I'll find another way. You stay away from Daisy, you hear me?"

"Whoa there, cowboy." she laughed mercilessly. "I won't touch her, it won't work that way. You should kill her and drink her blood."

For a second Dean felt truly sick. He was just seeing red and didn't care if the silver knife would work on her or not; stabbing her would at least make _him_ feel better. Plunging forward, Dean thrust the knife into her stomach.

Yemaya was caught by surprise, but true to her words, the knife didn't even make her flinch; it greatly irritated her, though. Grasping Dean's wrist with her right hand, she reached out for his throat and squeezed it just hard enough for Dean not to be able to yell from the pain in his wrist.

"Listen and listen well, you dumb-ass. I'm here to help _you_. This world doesn't exist, you might think it's a parallel world, but it's not. _I _have created it; so by killing Daisy you'll just save yourself without actually hurting anyone."

"Yeah, right." Dean gasped.

She removed her hand and pushed him back to the pillow.

Unconsciously Dean started rubbing his wrist and throat, before elaborating. "If this was a world that you've created, you wouldn't have had any problem sending me back to my universe and there were no reasons for you to get so angry by my refusal. I don't know what kind of problem you have with that little girl, but I'm not gonna kill her."

"You'll die."

"So be it."

"Hmm, alright then." She stood up. "You weren't supposed to die so soon, but you've so many enemies that they're doing whatever they can to bring you down. They can't reach you here, but your body is totally vulnerable back in your reality. They can do many things to it, you'll die a painful death here and then Sam will watch you die there; not able to do a thing about it. It'll drive him crazy. Well, crazier." she added with a smirk. "I warned you and gave you an option to save everyone, but you being such a pigheaded idiot, refused a perfect offer. I'll make sure Sam finds out the truth. Have a good night, _Doctor_ Winchester." she laughed and disappeared into thin air.

_'I'll make sure Sam finds out the truth.'_

That single phrase had been like a stab in the heart. He knew that Yemaya wouldn't go there to explain the whole story; whatever plan she had, she would twist the real story and would make Sam believe that his brother had _chosen_ to stay in that damn hell hole; that he'd chosen it over Sam.

"Dean."

He looked up as he heard her Mom's quiet voice.

"Hey Mom, did I wake you?"

"You? No. You haven't even coughed... Which is why I'm here. I... Well, I got worried."

Dean smiled ruefully; she had gotten so used to Dean's harsh coughs that she probably had thought he had died, when she hadn't heard him coughing for a while. "Does that mean that my coughs are your lullaby? Sweet, Mom. In an awkward way, but still."

Mary shook her head and chuckled. "You alright? You look pale."

"How can you say that? The light is not even on. Wait, you don't have night vision, do you?" Dean had only been able to see Yemaya because the moonlight had lightened the room, but for Mary to see how pale he was? That was impossible.

Mary just realized that she'd used a common phrase; she really couldn't see Dean's face. "Ah, umm, I- I can say it by listening to your voice. You'll know what I mean when you deal with Daisy for a few years."

Dean was about to say that he wouldn't be there that long, but didn't see the point of upsetting his Mom; so he just turned the subject to another joke. "Whatever happens, I'll make sure that I won't turn into a MOM! I'm a _dad_; I'll let you be the emotional one."

"Haha, you could've fooled me. You think I haven't seen you yesterday when you were-"

"Mom!" Dean interjected.

"Get some sleep." Mary laughed and left the room.

He hadn't made a sound! Mary said that she hadn't heard a thing. Did that mean that Dean had been dreaming the whole time?

He'd shouted and coughed and... That wasn't possible for Mary to not hear a thing, but then again, that bitch was a goddess, she could've kept Mary from hearing them.

Thinking about her again, Dean felt totally drained. He didn't know what else to do and if killing that little girl, his daughter or not, was the only way to survive this damn situation, then he'd never get back to Sam. He was doomed. He just hoped that Sam could forgive him some day and realize that he'd done everything in his power to fix it.

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**... TBC ...**

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	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** I gotta repeat that this story happens before episode 15 (Season 7, of course)! ;)_

_By the way, thanks for reviews, alerts and favorites! :)_

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><p>.<p>

They had been forced to intubate Dean; he couldn't breathe on his own anymore.

Sam had just gotten a couple hours of shut-eye when it happened. He'd jolted awake in his seat when he'd heard alarms going off and staff running into the room. Dean had gone into full respiratory arrest and had almost crashed.

And now the damn machine was breathing for him and Sam was at the exact same place he had been two weeks ago; not one step closer to find a way to save Dean.

He felt like he'd failed his brother. Big time.

"Mr. Bright, you've a call. You can take it at the nurse station." Dean's nurse informed him.

Sam frowned. Nobody knew he was there. Except Frank; Sam had given him the number once they'd moved Dean to the intensive care where he wasn't allowed to turn on his cell phone.

Frank.

This could be good news; and probably his last chance.

Either Frank had something that would save Dean, or he'd called to ask about Dean's situation. Yeah, right! Like Frank was that type of guy!

Sam just hoped that whatever Frank had found could actually save Dean and bring him back.

"Frank?" he asked as soon as he took the phone. "Please tell me you've got something."

"No, Sam. I'm calling just because I was lonely. Of course I've got something. "Sam could tell that Frank was rolling his eyes.

"It's a goddess called Yemaya. She's powerful and almost unbeatable." Frank started without preamble. "Almost." He emphasized. "I found a way but you've to act fast. How's Dean doing?"

"Not good, he's on the ventilator."

"What?" Frank shouted, making Sam flinch. "You've even less time than what I thought." Frank declared and started to explain to Sam what he'd found out. A few minutes later, Sam put the phone back on the cradle and walked towards the exit door.

"Mr. Bright?" a nurse called him from behind.

"I'll back soon, this is important; just please keep him alive." and with that he was gone.

...

Taking a look at his surrounding, Sam made sure that everything was ready and then started to chant.

"Sam Winchester. What can I do for you?" Yemaya appeared in the middle of the room. "No, don't answer that, let me guess. Ummm, yeah, I know, I know, you want me to clean here for you? It's really messy." she looked around. "Sorry, Sammy, not my field of work."

Sam clenched his teeth. He had to be patient or he could screw up and lose Dean for good.

"No? Well, I don't know, then." She shrugged. "Oh, wait! Maybe you want Dean back."

Anger flashed in Sam's eyes. "Where's Dean?"

"He's in an alternate universe with your Mom. Oh and in that universe, _you_ don't exist." Her eyes shined with mischievous joy. "Isn't that just interesting? He's so happy there that when I met him a few... A few... Ah, it's hard to say when, the differences between this universe and that one is kinda confusing. Anyway, he didn't want to come back! I offered him my help but he didn't accept it. He wanted to stay there. Did I mention you don't exist there?" A sick smile played on her lips.

"You're lying." Sam spat out.

"Am I?" she laughed. "He has a little girl. Can you imagine? Dean is a father and that's not all. He's a cardiologist." she laughed out loud. "I was his secretary for a while."

"Bring him back." Sam demanded.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said? He doesn't _want_ to come back. If you want your brother happy, then you should let him be. He obviously is tired of your company, he's experiencing a new life there and he's happy with what he has. It's been a few months in that universe, you know? He's had enough time to think and decide. He'd have been here with you now, if he wanted to come back."

Sam felt like he had been punched in the gut. Was that possible? Was that bitch telling the truth?

Dean had been really tired lately; maybe he _did_ want to stay away. Sam couldn't blame him if that was the case.

But did that mean that he had to give up on his brother? Was that what Dean really wanted?

It was a really hard decision that Sam had to make.

He could let Yemaya go and leave Dean alone to live his dreamy life in the other universe. But what if she was lying? What if Dean was going through hell? What if he needed Sam to get him back?

Or he could just kill that bitch and bring Dean back. That was the safe way and the logical one. But Dean could hate him for that. It was nothing like that sick game of the Djinn's; Dean was really leaving a normal happy life, now.  
>Sam felt like he'd already taken too many good things away from Dean; he didn't want to hurt his older brother anymore, it just wasn't fair to Dean.<p>

Looking up, Sam found Yemaya assessing him with an amused look on her face; she was clearly enjoying what she was seeing.

He wasn't sure what to do, but he was saved from making the hard decision as Yemaya's eye widened in shock, then her face pinched with fear and pain. Looking down, she found a copper rod sticking out of her chest.

Blood started to run down her chin as she coughed and then looked up at Sam. "He has cancer."

Sam's eyes widened in fear.

She fell to her knees and then on the ground. Coughing up more blood, she blurted out her last words, "He's dying. You'll never get him back in time. You're already too late."

Sam stepped back, the blood drained from his face. Dean had cancer. Dean was dying a slow, painful death and he'd never get him back in time.

"Snap out of it." Frank yelled. "It's not late until his body dies in that hospital. Give me that bowl, we don't have time. Do you have everything I told you?"

Sam blinked, but did as he was told and passes the bowl to Frank. "Um, yes. We just need to add her blood. What are you doing here?"

"I figured she'd try to manipulate you. Good thing I showed up when I did." he said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Sorry, I- I-"

"Forget it. Just remember that even if she was telling the truth and your brother was living a happy life, it wasn't his place. This is where he should be, no matter what."

"So, uh, Dean's not exactly responsive. How are we going to make him drink this?" Sam scratched his head.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Feeding tube. Do I need to tell you everything? How you two have survived so many years is really beyond me."

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**... TBC ...**

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	8. Chapter 8

Dean's situation had worsened after his less than lovely meeting with Yemaya; he wasn't sure if she had anything to do with it or not, but nothing was working anymore.

The doctors were just trying to make him as comfortable as possible, but even _that_ seemed like a difficult task, the last few days.

Despite all his protests and pleas, Mary wouldn't leave his side. He was glad, deep inside, though. He didn't know how much longer he had, but he wanted to see his Mom as much as possible. He wanted Mary's face to be the last thing he'd see.

They'd brought him a portable Oxygen tank and a nebulizer from the hospital, so he could stay at home for whatever time he had left.

"Dean, come on, you need to eat something."

"Can't." Dean rasped without opening his eyes. He was exhausted after his last coughing episode. It was like coughing up his lungs and sometimes he even wished that he could cough them up for real; it was way better than this slow death.

"You need to eat something." Mary repeated herself, rubbing Dean's neck. "Come on, it's chicken soup."

Dean finally opened his eyes and looked at Mary and gave her a wry smile. With his Mom's help he sat up and grabbed the spoon, but it fell from his shaking hand. He didn't even look up; just clenched his fist and his pale face turned a shade of red.

Mary grabbed the spoon and started to feed him. "Don't be silly, Dean. I've fed you way too many times."

"Yeah." he swallowed. "But not since I learned how to hold a spoon."

"Wouldn't you do the same for me? Or for Daisy when she grows up? Will you think any less of us?"

"Of course not."

"Then don't be stupid." She brought up another spoon.

"Mom, thanks." Dean whispered. "I... I know that whatever I say can't help us here; but thanks for everything. I love you, you know that, right?"

Mary's eyes were filled with unshed tears. "I love you, too, Dean. But please, don't start a goodbye speech. I need you; Daisy needs you."

Dean reached out weakly and wiped the tear from the corner of her eyes, "I'm not giving up, but we've to face it eventually. I don't have much time left. I'm sorry for putting you through this and I'm sorry for leaving you to pick up the pieces all alone."

"Dean." Mary's tone was sad, yet reprimanding. "You've always been there for me. Even when that bastard father of yours killed himself, you were trying to make sure that _I_ was fine. And you were just a kid. Every mother would wish to have a son like you."

"Now, that's true." Dean grinned crookedly. "And I'm damn handsome."

"And you've always been so full of yourself." Mary laughed, once again glad that Dean had changed the subject smoothly. She so didn't want to start crying in front of him; it was enough that she would cry herself to sleep every single night. Dean didn't need to deal with her grief above everything else.

"Umm, are you gonna give me more of that soup or not? I actually feel hungry."

"That's a good thing." she smiled and grabbed the spoon again. "Daisy needs to see you, Dean."

"I know." he nodded. "It's just... Well, I don't want her to remember me like this."

"Like what? You just look pale and a bit thinner. You haven't changed that much."

"Yeah, right. And if I start coughing up blood in front of her? She might never forget it, I don't want that for her."

"She needs her dad and I can say that her dad needs her, too. I've called Nancy and asked her to bring her home."

"You've already done that?" Dean inquired. "Then why asking in the first place?"

"I wanted you to think that you've made the final call."

"How terribly nice of you." Dean chuckled faintly.

"I'll go bring her in."

"What? She's here?" Dean's eyes widened. "You really are evil."

"Whatever floats your boat." she called over her shoulder.

...

"I'll watch the door, make sure you give him all of it and be fast." Frank instructed as they moved into Dean's room. He'd made sure that Sam had added all the necessary substances to Yemaya's blood and were ready to feed Dean with the liquid.

Sam looked unsure. "It's too risky; we could just check him out and do it somewhere safe."

"Look at him." Frank indicated to Dean. "You really think that he has that much time? Do it, NOW. And for God's sake, don't kill him. Be careful. I'm not born to correct your mistakes." he growled before walking to the door.

...

Dean was half lying on his bed, the oxygen mask helping him to breath.

Mary was seated beside him, rubbing his arm and chest smoothly trying to help him with his pain.

And magically she was successful; Dean had fallen into a fitful sleep a few minutes after Mary had started her magic. They had spent some time with Daisy and finally when Dean couldn't take it anymore, Mary silently had taken Daisy out and asked Nancy, Daisy's nanny, to take her back to her place.

She was thinking about Dean's childhood, which had been taken away from him too fast, and whatever Dean had gone through in his rather short life. Seriously, 33 years wasn't such a long time to experience so many things. She had no idea that Dean had seen way worse days in his own universe.

And like it wasn't enough already, he had to come down with a painful disease like cancer. It wasn't fair, Dean didn't deserve it. None of them did. She wiped her tears and took a deep breath.

Things were calm until Dean suddenly started to gag; despite the oxygen mask on his face, he couldn't get any air into his lungs. He was gasping for breath with wide open eyes.

"Dean, Dean. Calm down. Take slow breaths." Mary instructed as she helped her son to lean forward so he could breathe easier.

It wasn't working, though. "Dean, please. Listen to me. Listen to my breathing." she rubbed his back, trying hard not to panic.

As a clear sign of Oxygen deprivation, Dean's fingernails and nose had started to turn blue.

Mary's face was wet with tears and she wished that she'd resisted Dean's request of staying at home instead of hospital. If they were in the hospital, someone else would be there to help her. "That's it, I'll take you back to that damn hospital and nothing you say can stop me." she cried. "Please Dean. Don't do this to me."

Dean could hear his mother's voice, but there wasn't much he could do. It was like something was blocking his airway and a crappy taste had filled his mouth. He felt lightheaded; Mary's voice was getting further and further.

_'That must be it_.' he thought as his whole life appeared in front of his eyes like a slide show. He was just ready to give up when a hard hand collided with his back.

He cried out in pain, but at least he was able to take a breath again. Gasping for air, he collapsed into Mary's open arm.

It wasn't over, though. He could feel something pulling him from the inside. Mary's arms were around him, but he knew that it was his time. Gathering his last ounce of strength, he looked up at Mary's tear wet face. "I love you, Mom." he let out, his voice barely audible.

"I love you, too, honey. Help is on the way; just hang on a little longer for me. OK?"

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as an attempt to smile. He nodded and just stared at his Mom silently.

Her face was the last thing he saw before surrendering to oblivion. That was what he'd always wished for.

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**... TBC ...**

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	9. Chapter 9

Ever so slowly, Dean's consciousness began to creep back.

The first thing he became aware of was the stiffness that enveloped his entire body and then the _beep beep_ of a machine which probably was attached to him.

Hospital.

The word popped up to his mind.

So he'd survived. Help had arrived in time and Mary had taken him to the hospital. Part of him felt disturbed at that, it meant that he had to go through that blazing pain all over again.

"Dean."

His heart skipped a beat at that voice.

Blinking his eyes a few times, Dean found Sam standing by his bedside, squeezing his hand so tightly that he'd have yelled in pain if he wasn't still so confused. It kinda felt like he was detached from his body, not able to control a thing.

He was _back_.

But how was that even possible? Maybe all those books were wrong; maybe his death was the key.

"Oh, thank God." It seemed like Sam'd actually start crying any seconds. "Can you hear me, Dean? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Dean was too numb to comply.

Sam felt a shiver ran through his body; what if Dean wasn't back completely? What if he'd been too late? What if his brother had been brain_-_damaged?

"Dean, blink twice if you can hear me. Please, please do something."

"Sam?" Dean whispered; his voice hoarse from not using it for a long time.

"Dean, O my God." Sam started laughing uncontrollably. "You're back."

"I'm back." he let out. "But how?"

Sam shook his head and his legs suddenly refused to hold him up any longer, he collapsed to the chair next to the bed, unable to support himself. "Man, don't do that, again."

"Sam, am I really back?"

"Yes, Dean. I-" he moved and sat on the bed next to Dean and grabbed his brother by shoulder and pulled him into a fierce hug. Dean would've turned the gesture, but his arms were kinda stuck between his body and Sam's; besides, he was just too tired. He knew that he hadn't done anything but lying on a bed in this world, but he still was too tired.

"How did I get back, Sam?"

"You gonna hate me if I answer that?"

"Depends on your answer." Dean replied, not really meaning what he said. It wasn't in him to hate his little brother, but if Sam had done something stupid to bring him back, then he'd be really _really_ angry and would make sure Sam knew it.

"I... I killed Yemaya. She said you two had met before, so I assume you know her."

Dean nodded. "You killed her? How? I tried but silver didn't work on her."

Sam felt a surge of relief at Dean's words. "So you did want to come back."

"What do you mean? Of course I-" Dean paused. "Wait, is that why you thought I might hate you? For bringing me back? Just what did that bitch filled you with? She said she'd make you believe that I didn't want to come back. That's not true Sam. I tried everything. Every damn day I was trying to find a way back, but I couldn't. I couldn't kill Daisy to save myself."

"Daisy? What are you talking about?" Sam felt totally lost; he didn't have a clue what Dean was talking about.

"She-" Dean gulped. "She said that I had to kill Daisy. Daisy... She was my little girl." he sighed. "She wanted me to kill an innocent kid and drink her blood. I couldn't do that, Sam. I'm sorry."

"Oh, man." Sam whispered. "I didn't know that. That must have sucked."

"You've no idea."

"Well, you didn't kill her. So, no harm, no foul."

Dean pondered for a few seconds. "Hmm, I guess so. So, how did you kill that bitch?"

"Well, Silver might not work on her, but apparently copper does. And to be honest, Frank was the one who killed her, I was kinda... Well, dazed, uncertain, I don't know."

"Frank? Oh boy, it means we owe him even more, now."

"Big time." Sam nodded. "Anyway, I... man don't kill me."

"What?" Dean frowned.

"I gave you her blood with a mixture of a few other things. You couldn't exactly drink it, so we inserted it to your stomach with the feeding tube."

Dean's face turned a shade of green. "Ewww."

"You weren't even conscious, and you've drunk Vampire's blood, before; I don't think this was any grosser."

"Double eww. Man, thanks for reminding me of that damn day. Give me some water, will you?"

Sam laughed and stood up to get him a glass of water.

To say he was thrilled to have his brother back would be an understatement. He was almost sure that he'd been late.

After giving Yemaya's blood to Dean, his vitals had dropped and after a few minutes he'd gone into cardiac arrest; the doctors believed that it wasn't anything but miracle that they'd been able to bring him back.  
>At first they thought that they'd just given him a couple of more days, but little by little he got stronger. It was two days ago when they'd finally removed the tubes and moved him to a regular ward.<p>

"So, it's over, huh?" Dean asked when he drank the water.

"I hope so. So, what was it like in the other universe?" Sam said and cringed at his own question. He knew that Dean had cancer there; it couldn't be easy for him to think about.

"It was... Good, I think." Dean said to Sam's surprise. "I mean, well, recently it was kinda painful and before that it wasn't perfect since you weren't there, but I've really missed Mom and well, she was there." Dean shrugged. "I never wanted to stay there, though. I assure you."

"I know, Dean." Sam smiled. "That... Yemaya said you'd cancer, is that true?"

Dean nodded. _'Long agonizing moments. Actually I still feel exhausted from those coughing fits; can't believe I can breathe with no problem.'_ he thought but didn't say any of them aloud. Sam didn't need to know about that. "Lung cancer and damn painful." He said instead. "But Mom was there all the time." He reassured.  
>"You know, I'm wondering what's happening there, now. I mean, I'm back here, but there should be another Dean, right? I didn't just appear in their world out of nowhere. The Dean in that world was a cardiologist." Dean chuckled. "Can you believe it, I tried to escape that part, but I actually knew what it was about and I performed a few surgeries."<p>

"What?" Sam burst into laughter. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"Nah, give me some credit." Dean laughed along. "I wish I could bring you pictures. Daisy was so beautiful, I'll miss her, and Mom." he sighed.

"What about Dad?" Sam had to ask, he'd always been wondering what their Dad would be like if things had gone differently.

"Ahh, I don't really know. Apparently he was a drunken bastard. He'd killed himself in front of me, or the other me, whatever, when I was four. Can you believe it?"

"Oh." That was all Sam could utter. '_Maybe it was a good thing that things hadn't gone that way, then.' _He thought.

"Yeah, Oh. And hey, I saw Bobby, too. He wasn't a hunter. In fact, he didn't even believe in supernatural beings. His wife was alive and I almost got myself killed when I showed how surprised I was."

"Bobby." Sam whispered the name. "Just how long were you there?"

"Good question. I think it was almost 4 months. What about here?"

"Almost 2 weeks."

Dean blinked. "Really? WOW, boy, our life sucks."

"No kidding."

"We really owe Frank, don't we?"

Sam nodded ruefully. "By the way, next time you wanted to prove your point, you can just say so. No need to pull a stunt like this."

"Like you'd listen."

"I will." Sam protested.

"Right, for the next-" Dean looked up at the clock on the wall. "Next 5 minutes?"

"You wish."

"I knew it." Dean growled.

He was already missing Mary, but he was where he belonged. Sam needed him, and _he_ needed Sam. He knew it in his heart that Mary and Daisy were going to be fine. Maybe the other Dean would get better. He had no way to find out, he could just hope and he was happy to know that they were pretty much safe there.

Now his mission was to make sure Sam would be safe, too. It was way harder, but they'd survived many other things; they'd find their ways through this one, too.

Oh, they had just one big problem that he didn't know if they could survive from.

Frank.

He knew that Frank would ask for impossible things. They owed him his life, now.

**.**

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**-The End-**

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><p><em><strong>AN: **I really like Frank, hope we can see him again in the show.  
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**_So, what do you think? Please let me know. :)_  
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**_By the way, thank you all for your reviews, alerts and favorites. They all made me really happy. Thank you.  
><em>**

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